Static guide for wire pulling

ABSTRACT

A wire pulling guide includes a body and multiple hardened rods spaced apart on the body, the rods positioned to contact a wire being guided by the guide.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/434,927 (entitled Static Guide for Wire Pulling, filed Dec. 15, 2016) which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Wire may be made by drawing a wire through a single, or series of, drawing dies to reduce the cross section of the wire to a desired cross section. During the drawing process, wire may be cooled between dies spooled to collect the wire.

Speed Control on earlier versions on wire drawing machines was accomplished by a technology known as dancer arm technology. The problem with this is, the wire passed over three sheaves or pulleys which removed lubricants and caused wire damage. Each pulley was fitted with bearings which over time seized which even caused more damage. Constant maintenance was required to insure a quality wire product off of the machine.

This technology was replaced in the 1990's with a new technology called short stroke dancer technology (tuner arm/tuner roll) which replaced three sheaves with one rotating roll. The wire path became almost a straight line from capstan to die. The conventional roller consisted of a shaft with ball bearings and a hardened sleeve which lightly touched the wire and controlled the capstan speeds. Dancer rolls that rotate have been used to guide wire to a next die or spool. However, the dancer rolls tend to not spin at a same rate as the wire it is guiding, and soon develop grooves which harm the wire and have bearings that tend to fail. Dry drawing lubricant powders are used to lubricate the wire as it passes through the drawing die. These powders break down during the process and cause a large amount of lubricant dust. The lubricant dust sticks to all surfaces, and penetrates the ball bearings causing them to seize.

When the dancer rolls fail, the entire wiredrawing process is shut down to facilitate replacing one or more dancer rolls. Shutting down the process adversely affects throughput and increases costs.

SUMMARY

A wire pulling guide includes a body and multiple hardened rods spaced apart on the body, the rods positioned to contact a wire being guided by the guide.

A wire pulling guide includes a central rod, multiple body sections supported adjacent to each other on the rod, at least one of the multiple body sections having an opening therein, at least one radially extending wire guide mating with the opening, and at least one hardened rod positioned along an exterior of the body sections to guide a wire, wherein the body sections do not rotate and the at least one hardened rod contacts the wire without the wire contacting the body sections.

A method includes mounting a non-rotating guide having at least one hardened rod held in a fixture of a wire-pulling machine supported by a body of the guide, and moving wire over the at least one rod such that the wire does not contact the body of the guide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire pulling guide according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a body of a wire pulling guide according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a top plan view of an end cap according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a side elevation view of the end copy of FIG. 3A according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a wire pulling guide according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a wire pulling guide according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of multiple different body segment configurations according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments which may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following description of example embodiments is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a guide 100 that may be used as a static, non-rotating dancer or guide for wire pulling machines. One or more hardened rods 110, 112 may be disposed about a body 115, such as a cylinder and positioned to contact a wire 120 as the wire moves by the guide 100. The hardened rods 110, 112 may be cylindrical in shape or at least a part of the surface of the rods 110, 112 contacting the wire 120 has an arcuate shape, such as a rod with a half-moon cross section.

The portion of the rod 110, 112 contacting the body 115 may be curved or otherwise shaped to mate with the body 115. The body 115 in one embodiment does not rotate so that the wire 120 maintains contact with the rods 110, 112. In one embodiment, the rods 110, 112 may be formed of carbide. The hardened rods 110, 112 may be formed of 3% Cobalt to 15% Cobalt in one embodiment. In further embodiments, the hardened rods 110, 112 may be Ceramic in all grades. Alternatively, the hardened rods 110, 112 may be constructed of a hard metal, such as hardened steel with a coating of carbide, ceramic, or diamond, or combinations thereof. Materials that do not adversely affect the wire and wear well may be suitable for construction of the rods. The rods may exhibit extremely long life with multiple wear surfaces that reduce maintenance costs. Machine downtime is reduced significantly prevents wire surface damage and scratching.

In some embodiments, the rods may have diameters of 0.250 to 0.500. There may be two or more rods which are spaced between 20 and 30 degrees apart on the body. A pair of horizontal wire retaining rods 125, 130 may extend radially, or at an angle, from the body 115 to maintain the wire 120 between the guides 125, 130. The guides 125, 130 may be formed of material similar to that of the rods 110, 112 in one embodiment.

In one embodiment, the body 115 may include multiple body segments indicated at 150, 155, 160, 165, and 170. More or fewer body segments may be used in various embodiments. The body segments may be formed around and supported by a central axis rod 180. End caps 185, 190 may be used to secure the body segments to the central axis rod 180, with the body segments disposed on the central axis rod 180 between the end caps 185, 190. The central axis rod 180 may be threaded on both ends, with the end caps having mating threads for securing the end caps to the central axis rod 180. Alternatively end cap 190 may be secured to the central axis rod 180 by means of a washer 192, such as a locking washer and threaded nut 195.

In various embodiments, the rods 110, 112 may be secured to the body 115 in at least two different ways as illustrated in a cross section 200 of the rods shown in FIG. 2. The body 115 may be formed of aluminum for example, and has rounded groove shapes 210, 215 to mate with the one or more rods 110, 112 which are secured, such as by adhesive or other means, along the length of the body 115 in the respective one or more rounded groove shapes 210, 215.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of an end cap 300, and FIG. 4 shows a side view of the end cap 300 corresponding to end caps 185, 190. In one embodiment, two end caps are used to hold the rods 110, 112 and aluminum body 115 as well as to secure the rods 110, 112 to the aluminum body 115 by retentively coupling to the central axis rod 180. In one embodiment, the end caps 300 may be used to support the rods. However, a cylinder extending between the endcaps, comprising the body segments 150, 155, 160, 165, and 170 can help provide better support for the rods along the length of the rods to maintain the shape of the rods which may be straight in one embodiment. Such a cylinder also provides support for optional wire retaining rods 125, 130. If more than two rods 110, 112 are secured on the body 115, the end caps 300 may be loosened and the body 115 rotated to expose a different pair of rods 110, 112 to the wire. Such an adjustment can be made very quickly with little machine downtime.

FIG. 4 is a cross section of a guide 400 shown assembled. Guide 400 includes a central rod or bolt 410 supporting three body sections 415, 420, and 425 between end caps 430 and 440. A hardened rod 445 is shown supported by the body sections between the end caps.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a further alternative guide 500. Guide 500 includes a central rod or bolt 510 supporting four body sections 515, 520, 525, and 530 between end caps 535 and 545. The bolt 510 may be a standard type bolt with integrated nut and threaded portion, or any other type of elongated structure suitable for securely supporting the body sections. Two hardened rods 450, 455 are shown supported by the body sections between the end caps when assembled.

In one embodiment, body sections 515 and 530 are shown with wire retaining rods 450, 455 extending radially from the body sections. Such wire retaining rods may be threaded to mate with matching threaded openings in the respective body sections. In one embodiment, the guides 450, 455 may be positioned between the rods 450, 455. In operation, the rods may be positioned a short arcuate distance from each other such that a wire being guided and contacting both rods 450, 455 does not contact the body sections. The wire may contact one or both rods. If contacting only one rod, the guide may be rotated when the one rod becomes worn, such that the wire only contacts the other rod. The rotation of the guide 500 may be done quickly without significant manufacturing line down time.

The body sections are sandwiched between and held together by endcaps 560, 565, with respective compressible washers 570, 575 disposed between the endcaps and respective body sections 515 and 530. The washers 570, 575 may be Neoprene washers in one embodiment. A nut 580, also referred to as a cap nut, and washer 585 may be used to secure the elements of the guide 500 to the bolt 510. Cap 565 may alternatively be a base that couples to central rod 510 and has a threaded bolt portion extending to couple to washer 585 and nut 580.

The number of body portions may vary from 1 to more than five in various embodiments. In the case of a single body portion, two or more guides may be accommodated by the single body portion.

FIG. 6 illustrates several different example configurations for arrangement of body sections having wire retaining rods. The body sections with wire retaining rods may be placed adjacent to each other at any positions on the central rod, or separated from each other by one or more body segments. These example configurations are not exhaustive as readily seen by one of skill in the art. Fewer or more body sections may also be placed on the central rod, and more than or fewer than two body sections may be equipped with one or more wire retaining rods in further embodiments.

The horizontal wire retaining rods may be placed in various positions as illustrated in FIG. 6. In one embodiment, the guide comprises multiple body sections, each about one inch in length with a hole or holes that a horizontal wire retaining rod may be fixed in, such as by mating threads. The figure above shows six different options for the horizontal wire retaining rods in a guide consisting of four body sections. In some embodiments, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more body sections may be used with horizontal wire retaining rods placed as desired for a particular application.

The guide may exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: Light weight, no bearings, non-rotating, high wear, highly polished low friction tungsten carbide rods that are easily installed in any application.

Ground and polished conventional rotating rollers have in the best case a surface finish of 16μ (micron) and a hardness of 60/62 rc. Tungsten carbide rods may have a surface finish of 1μ (micron) and a hardness of 80 rc. Surface finish is exponentially better than conventional rolls and it is approximately 35% harder.

In test trials spanning over 2½ years of operation on the static dancer roll with almost no visible wear. If wear is apparent, the carbide rods can be rotated to a new surface in less than 1 minute simply by loosening the cap nut and rotating each carbide rod.

EXAMPLES

1. A wire pulling guide includes a non-rotating body, and multiple hardened rods spaced apart on the body, the rods positioned to contact a wire being guided by the guide.

2. The wire pulling guide of example 1 wherein the rods are spaced apart sufficiently to prevent the wire from contacting the body.

3. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-2 wherein the body is rotationally fixed.

4. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-3 wherein the hardened rods comprise carbide.

5. The wire pulling guide of example 4 wherein the hardened rods comprise 3% Cobalt to 15% Cobalt.

6. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-5 wherein the rod comprises ceramic.

7. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-6 wherein the hardened rods comprise hardened steel with a coating of carbide, ceramic, or diamond, or combinations thereof.

8. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-7 wherein the body comprises a cylinder.

9. The wire pulling guide of example 8 wherein the body comprise a groove that each hardened rod nests in and are secured by caps on the end of the body.

10. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-9 wherein the body comprises one or more wire retaining rods extending radially from the body.

11. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 1-10 wherein the body includes one or more threaded openings configured to mate with one or more radially extending wire retaining rods.

12. A wire pulling guide includes a central rod, multiple body sections supported adjacent to each other on the rod, at least one of the multiple body sections having an opening therein, at least one radially extending wire guide mating with the opening, and at least one hardened rod positioned along an exterior of the body sections to guide a wire, wherein the body sections do not rotate and the at least one hardened rod contacts the wire without the wire contacting the body sections.

13. The wire pulling guide of example 12 wherein the at least one hardened rod comprises carbide.

14. The wire pulling guide of example 13 wherein the at least one hardened rod comprises 3% Cobalt to 15% Cobalt.

15. The wire pulling guide of any of examples 12-14 wherein the body sections comprise a groove that each hardened rod nests in and are secured to the central rod by caps on the end of the body.

16. A method includes mounting a non-rotating guide having at least one hardened rod held in a fixture of a wire-pulling machine supported by a body of the guide, and moving wire over the at least one rod such that the wire does not contact the body of the guide.

17. The method of example 16 and further including stopping moving the wire over the at least one rod, adjusting the non-rotating guide such that the wire contacts a different rod, and resuming moving wire over the different rod.

18. The method of any of examples 16-17 wherein moving wire of the at least one rod comprises moving wire over two rods such the wire does not contact the body of the guide.

19. The method of any of examples 16-18 and further comprising keeping the wire between two wire retaining rods that are radially extending from the body of the guide.

20. The method of example 19 wherein the body comprises multiple body sections and wherein the wire retaining rods are radially extend from two different body sections.

Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, other modifications are possible. Other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A wire pulling guide comprising: a non-rotating body; and multiple hardened rods spaced apart on the body, the rods positioned to contact a wire being guided by the guide.
 2. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the rods are spaced apart sufficiently to prevent the wire from contacting the body.
 3. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the body is rotationally fixed.
 4. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the hardened rods comprise carbide.
 5. The wire pulling guide of claim 4 wherein the hardened rods comprise 3% Cobalt to 15% Cobalt.
 6. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the rod comprises ceramic.
 7. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the hardened rods comprise hardened steel with a coating of carbide, ceramic, or diamond, or combinations thereof.
 8. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a cylinder.
 9. The wire pulling guide of claim 8 wherein the body comprise a groove that each hardened rod nests in and are secured by caps on the end of the body.
 10. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the body comprises one or more wire retaining rods extending radially from the body.
 11. The wire pulling guide of claim 1 wherein the body includes one or more threaded openings configured to mate with one or more radially extending wire retaining rods.
 12. A wire pulling guide comprising: a central rod; multiple body sections supported adjacent to each other on the rod; at least one of the multiple body sections having an opening therein; at least one radially extending wire guide mating with the opening; and at least one hardened rod positioned along an exterior of the body sections to guide a wire, wherein the body sections do not rotate and the at least one hardened rod contacts the wire without the wire contacting the body sections.
 13. The wire pulling guide of claim 12 wherein the at least one hardened rod comprises carbide.
 14. The wire pulling guide of claim 13 wherein the at least one hardened rod comprises 3% Cobalt to 15% Cobalt.
 15. The wire pulling guide of claim 12 wherein the body sections comprise a groove that each hardened rod nests in and are secured to the central rod by caps on the end of the body.
 16. A method comprising: mounting a non-rotating guide having at least one hardened rod held in a fixture of a wire-pulling machine supported by a body of the guide; and moving wire over the at least one rod such that the wire does not contact the body of the guide.
 17. The method of claim 16 and further comprising: stopping moving the wire over the at least one rod; adjusting the non-rotating guide such that the wire contacts a different rod; and resuming moving wire over the different rod.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein moving wire of the at least one rod comprises moving wire over two rods such the wire does not contact the body of the guide.
 19. The method of claim 16 and further comprising keeping the wire between two wire retaining rods that are radially extending from the body of the guide.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the body comprises multiple body sections and wherein the wire retaining rods are radially extend from two different body sections. 